Erosive materials flowingly transported in pipes eventually degrade the various piping components comprising the piping system necessitating their repair or replacement. Locations exposed to flow perturbations such as elbows, splitters, valves, reducers, connectors, etc. are especially prone to early failure.
In an attempt to extend the useful lives of these components, abrasion resistant coatings or liners are placed within their interiors. Typically elastomeric materials, such as polyurethane, rubber, and the like, these liner compositions are selected with an eye towards the entrained material. Corrosive flows must be matched with corrosion resistant materials, high and low temperature flows must be matched with temperature resistant materials, erosive flows must be matched with erosion resistant materials, and so on.
For example, in sandfill lines, the sand slurry plays havoc with the internals of the piping system. The slurry continuously flowing against the bend in an elbow will inexorably destroy the wall of the bend.
The most common method of determining whether an elbow or any conduit component is in danger of failing is manual inspection. Oftentimes a worker will visually and tactually inspect a fitting to see if it appears to be in danger of failure. However, the only realistic way to determine the internal status of the component is to remove and dismantle it. As can be appreciated this method is somewhat uncertain at best; is time consuming; and a cause of process inefficiency. Based upon experience, a component will be summarily dismantled or disposed of after a period of time whether or not the part is actually at risk. Of course, exceptions to the rule may cause physical injury and destruction of property.
Accordingly, there is a need for a simple, inexpensive monitoring device for determining the status of the liner of a conduit component.